Salsa is dead, reggaeton is dead: Long live the rolling Afro-Latin music thread 2009

i've been shedding timbales in preparation for (hopefully) some gigs with a latin jazz band. i used to listen to latin records with no idea of who was playing what so it's been nice to break it down (not that i'm an expert or anything now, but i think i can handle the gig)

Awesome. Maybe soon we'll be posting you to Drum geek sick chops youtube thread

Do you have one of these?

Listened to that Pulpo album once, sounded pretty solid.

Jordan, let me be a pest and ask you, do you play the cascara on those timbales?

In the next few years, Samuel Torres is going to mess you people up.

And then I will post a link to this thread to prove that I predicted it.

james, yes and yes

Cool. Never mind the jam block hataz.

I'm trying to ignore the Descarga (and Dusty Groove) hype as much as anybody else, but this Pulpo album is pretty good. Doesn't make me wish I listening to,say, Asalto Navideño instead.

Speaking of Asalto Navideño, I went ahead and bought the (apparently self-published) Irv Greenbaum memoir from Descarga and found it highly entertaining, particularly his James Brown anecdote and all the stories about when he thought he was sure he was going to get a little special mention at an awards ceremony from somebody like Harvey Averne or Eddie Palmieri but was denied.

Version of "La Murga" significantly different from the original- instrumental, more uptempo among other things.

the cascara
In my limited efforts to understand the clave in the past year, it was lightbulb over head time when I learned to start listening to the cascara. And the bell.

The song "Salsa Y Sabor" on Tito Puente's Para Los Rumberos, in particular the organ solo, sure reminds me of "Vamonos Pa'l Monte."

Tito Puente's 78s and stuff-

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/taking-care-of-tito-puentes-musical-legacy/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/arts/music/11play.html?scp=3&sq=pareles%20january%2011&st=cse

Tito Puente never forgot that his band’s main job was to get people dancing: with romantic boleros, sinuous cha-chas and insistent mambos. His repertory was huge; he recorded more than 150 singles as 78s from 1949 to 1955. What makes the two newly released collections of “The Complete 78s” (Fania) — 40 each on Vol. 1 and the brassier but more uneven Vol. 2 — so enjoyable is how often and how far Mr. Puente went beyond the utilitarian. The masterly mesh of percussion, sleek horns and suave singers is a given. Beyond it are jazzy harmonic excursions, Afro-Cuban throwbacks, exotic travelogues and experimental stretches like “Vibe Mambo,” which presages Steve Reich — all packed into less than four minutes per track.-Jon Pareles

this thread gets the burt_stanton official seal of: i don't give a fuck

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. burt_stanton.

bruto stanton

Shakira at the Lincoln Memorial Sunday.

I got Vol 1 of the Tito Puente 78s right when it came out and listened to it once but then got distracted by some other stuff including the Alegre compilation and some of Tito's 116 other albums.

so ... la excelencia? i grabbed their first album off emusic (new one's not up there yet). i like it. i think i get what's dura about it, but i'm a dilettante on all this.

Shakira at the Lincoln Memorial Sunday.

Discussion of Shakira is banned from this thread.

I streamed that first La Excelencia album and didn't really like it that much. (I realize that's not the optimal way to check something out, but for a genre I'm as sympathetic to as salsa, it's generally enough to let me know what I think of something.) The fragments I've heard from the new one sound more appealing.

But anyway they get very good grades from many people who know more about salsa than I do, and I haven't given that first album a real listen in my stereo (but I still personally think they are overrated and find their coros, especially on the first album, a bit uninspiring).

I've been burned a lot by buying CDs by current New York salseros, so I am very suspicious of anything that comes out of New York these days, frankly. On the other hand, La Excelencia are genuinely a new group of musicians. They aren't part of the SHO/Soneros del Barrio pool of performers.

yeah, i admit their "newness" is part of what made me curious. the vocals don't particularly grab me out of the gate -- though they don't bother me -- but i like the grooves. which is about all i can sensibly say.

Jesse, did you end up going to the Blue Note last week?

nawp. spousal social plans interfered. my determination to see more live music this year is so far entirely theoretical...

Maybe one of these days you can come out with me on the Latin Jazz tip.

yeah i'd dig that. keep me posted on yr. outings.

La Excelencia may be new, but I don't hear them doing anything particularly new. Not that I demand that, just pointing it out. I still might be this new one, since it sounds more interesting to me than the first, from inadequate sampling anyway.

All right, Jesse, in a little bit I'm going to head up to Smoke to meet a friend to see the 10 o'clock set of Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band. Sorry for the late notice.

hey, i think i can make it to that. smoke is like 6 blocks from me. so yeah, i'll look for you.

Meanwhile in DC--courtesy of the Washington Post blog the Official Latino Inaugural Ball.

Hearing American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta sing the national anthem, for instance, wasn't quite as thrilling as watching Yerba Buena singer CuCu Diamante gyrating while wearing an American flag-patterned ball gown.

The '70s funk group War was the first act of the night, and the outfit ran through hits such as "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?" During "Low Rider," the band was joined by comedian George Lopez, who played cowbell.

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano backed singers Michael Salgado, Elida Reyna, and Lila Downs. The band was one of the few acts that battled the venue's acoustics and won -- although all fought valiantly. The horns and strings sounded crisp despite the barrel-vaulted, 96-foot ceilings, which amplified every laugh, cheer, and shattering glass.

After the explosive Cucu Diamante/Yerba Buena set, golden girl Paulina Rubio emerged to sing a few songs, including "Ni Una Sola Palabra" and "Yo No Soy Esa Mujer." She was followed by balladeer Alejandro Sanz, who performed "Corazon Partio," and "Quisiera Ser."

By the time the night's marquee act, Marc Anthony, was introduced by his wife, Jennifer Lopez, the program was already about an hour and a half behind schedule. However, the salsero made the most his short time on stage. As he sung "Valio La Pena" and Hector Lavoe's "Mi Gente," Union Station's Main Hall turned into a massive dance floor.

-- SARAH GODFREY

I just went with my kid to the Lincoln Memorial event during the day (Shakira with Usher and Stevie Wonder on "Higher Ground," plus lots of baby-boomer pop-rock stuff, Bettyle Lavette w/ Jon Bon jovi, Mary J Blige...). Did not pay the big bucks for this. Unfortunately missed the unofficial Mambo for Obama and the Socarama with David Rudder and Alison Hinds.

Compiltation of recordings of songs written by Tite Curet Alonso:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/23459.10?MGV8hX8v;;383

An obvious idea, but I don't think I've seen one before. Some favorites missing, but I think this still gives an idea of his significance.

the program was already about an hour and a half behind schedule

Surprise, surprise.

(Of course, if you like Fania era salsa, you're eventually going to want many of the albums these songs come from, and you're going to end up with a collection of his songs anyway, just scattered across many recordings.)

As he sung "Valio La Pena" and Hector Lavoe's "Mi Gente," Union Station's Main Hall turned into a massive dance floor.

augh, this would've been kind of badass.

Isn't Eddie Santiago just a salsa romantica artist? He's gonna be at Cecelia's (aka the Salsa Room)in Arlington outside DC this Saturday and I wanna make sure I'm not missing anyone I'd like.

ridiculous e-mailed press release no. 1,224,000 re Cuban-born rapper:

PITBULL
TAKES A BITE OUT OF LOS ANGELES AND SETS NEW ATTENDENCE RECORD
AT CLUB NOKIA

Isn't Eddie Santiago just a salsa romantica artist?

He is, but I like some of his old hits quite a bit (maybe because they remind me of my earliest salsa dance classes).

Like this:

This actually feels really nice to dance to, imo. I mean, really, is this such a bad song? I don't think so. I'm not sure I'd go see Eddie Santiago live though.

Not that I dance any more, or work, or spend much money, in our declining empire (but that's another story).

And yes, in fact, I will take this over any number of current New York ideologically salsa dura songs.

(This is a pretty good example of how I'm less of a salsa purist than I might seem at times. I don't hate all the poppy salsa.)

Been trying to figure out what this song is forever. Oh well, call me late but this is a jam.

Somebody should give Robert Christgau a subgenre-by-subgenre breakdown of all these current Latin acts he's asking about:

http://www.najp.org/articles/2009/02/anuncios-de-servicio-publico.html

oh mio.

Wow, the Dean wants to be schooled.

I might want to attempt that (but that's going to be a homework type thing--away from the internet). I see some people have already started. I'm a little surprised he wouldn't know who some of these acts are (but good for him for asking).

Here's a real time attempt (but these aren't going to be sentences necessarily, so I realize this isn't the response he was looking for--I'm doing this for my own amusement)):

Pepe Aguilar (Don't know), Akwid* (Mexican or Mexican-American rapper, I think), Alacranes Musicales!! (don't know), Alegres de la Sierra (don't know--sounds Mexican), Alexis and Fido (Reggaetoneros, presumably Puerto Rican), Ricardo Arjona (don't know), Aventura!! (pop bachata), Hector Bambino (Puerto Rican reggaeton), Ana Barbara (don't know), Bebe (don't know, but sounds familiar), Graciela Beltran (I should know this--is this the Machito Graciela or someone else?), Bety y Sus Canaris (don't know), Miguel Bose (don't know), Bronco (unless this was a Fania reissue that sold well, I don't know--but there was an older salsa band called Brocno), Cafe Tacuba* (rock en espanol), Calle 13* (reggaeton/Latin alternative), Cristian Castro (don't know), Manu Chao* (that guy, who I think is actually Spanish, right?), Chayanne!! (d/k), Conjunto Atardecer (d/k), Conjunto Primavera!! (d/k), Celia Cruz* (the starred ones he knows, I guess), Daddy Yankee*, Dareyes dela Sierra (d/k), Oscar de la Hoya (huh?) (d/k), Duelo (d/k), Tito El Bambino (Puerto Rican reggaeton), El Patro de Sinoloa (d/k), Valentin Elizalde (d/k), Vicente Fernandez!! (norteno, right?), Luis Fonsi (name very familiar but don't know), Ana Gabriel* (Mexican--mariachi, maybe other styles), Kany Garcia (d/k), Grupo Innovacion (d/k), Jean Luis Guerra* (boring poetic bachata/Christian Latin music), Enrique Iglesias* (I still don't really know what this guy sounds like), India* (anyway I'm skipping the starred ones), Inquietos de Norte (d/k), Ivy Queen (I think--they're on Univision, a Latin label) (la reina del reggaeton, Puerto Rican), Jaunes*, K-Paz de la Sierra (Mexican, poppy banda mixed other stuff?), La 5A Estaction (d/k), La Arrolladora Banda El Lima (d/k), La Factoria (d/k), Hector Lavoe*, Los Creadorez (d/k), Los Cuates de Sinaloa (d/k--I assume these bands with Mexican place names in their names are Mexican), Los Enanitos Verdes (d/k), Los Originales de San Juan (d/k), Los Pikadientes de Caborca (d/k), Los Primos de Durango (d/k), Los Rieleros del Norte (d/k), Los Super Reyes (d/k), Los Temerarios (d/k), Los Tigres del Norte*!!, Los Tucanes de Tijuana (d/k), Eddy Lover (d/k), Mana*!!, Victor Manuelle (salsa, often considered "salsa monga" (or soft or literally "retarded" salsa) but considered a legit. sonero by some--also does some Latin pop, Puerto Rican), Ricky Martin*, Mercyme, Luis Miguel!! (I forget), Montez de Durango (d/k), Tito Nieves (primarily salsa, but has charted with Latin house and recorded in some other genres, Puerto Rican), Don Omar (Puerto Rican reggaeton), Yolanda Perez (Mexican pop banda--did those bandaton songs that I liked and only discovered thanks to Chuck), Pesado (d/k), Rakim y Keny (reggaeton--like any name that looks kind of like that), RBD (Latin pop? or just very watery rock en espanol?), Reik (d/k), Diana Reyes (d/k), Jenni Rivera (d/k), Lupilla Rivera (d/k), RKM y Ken-y (cf. Rakim y Keny just above), Paulina Rubio*, Adan Salina Sanchez (d/k), Gilberto Santa Rosa (salsa, often on the salsa romantica/salsa monga side of things, but clearly a strong talent in more traditional styles of the music, Puerto Rican, frequently collaborates with Victor Manuelle on various recording projects), Alejandro Sanz* (Spanish, right?), Joan Sebastian (d/k), Marco Antonio Solis!! (Mexican pop of some sort, not too bad), Olga Tanon (merengue, though I believe she is from Puerto Rico), Tierra Cali (d/k), Gloria Trevi (d/k), Tropical Fantasia (d/k), Sergio Vega (d/k), Julieta Venegas (I know who she is but I'm not even sure where she is from--probably Mexican?), Alicia Villareal (d/k), Wisin y Yanda!! (that's YANDEL--Puerto Rican reggaeton, now doing bad house music with increasing frequency), Xtreme (pop reggaeton very much in the Aventura vein), Yuridia (up and coming Mexican pop singer).

I'd be willing to bet at least half my "don't knows" are Mexican acts.

I don't think most fans, as opposed to professional epxerts, could identify the whole gamut. "Latin music" includes disctinct musical worlds. (I'm not suggesting anybody involved here doesn't know that.)

now doing bad house music with increasing frequency

otm

Have you guys seen Nina's blog [url]http://lamusicalatina.wordpress.com/[url] She posted a response to Christgau also

[i]Hip Hop Dominicano is Dead?
January 18, 2009 by La Evangelista de la Salsa

Well, that figures. First salsa then reggaeton (though I like to pretend it isn’t) and now THIS? Whats left? Im almost afraid to go trolling for music lest I run across an obituary out there.[i] She linked to another blog that said hiphop Dominicano is dead

This is another one I like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5W2xVvlIhc

and this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXRgE7QP-dA&feature=related

yeah, think i may be more into what he might be doing with his new solo? act than the old stuff.

wisin y yandel allegedly broken up (which i am totally fine with)

wisin y yandel allegedly broken up

The question is, will they continue to perform and make music together?

I am actually a fan, of the last two or three albums anyway (never heard the early early stuff), but my wife always laughs when their videos come on and insists they're secretly a couple.

unperson, I hope they make better music as solo acts than they have been making lately as a duo. unperson, when you say you've never heard their early stuff, how far back are we talking? Does early include P'al Mundo in your mind, or are you thinking of before that album (which I'm mostly unfamiliar with)? Because that's the one that's a benchmark for me, in terms of quality (not that I have actually heard everything on it, or not straight through anyway--but I just finally got around to ordering a copy in the past few days). I also like what I've heard from Los Vaqueros, but I think it's been really spotty since then, and not because I don't think they should change, but because I don't like the changes they've been making, or just simply whatever it is they have been doing. I know you disagree.

fauxmarc, okay, I guess I need to actually click on the link you posted and check out the new stuff.

I came on board with Pa'l Mundo, and not even the initial release, but the two-disc-plus-DVD deluxe edition, which I think was a year later. I've never heard anything from before that except for maybe a track or two on the Mas Flow compilations.

Rhumba!!! (@ 2:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgLWFNcRb9A

Afro-Latin Music Thread 2010: La Resurrección (salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, cumbia, etc.)